Shelving.



W. M. SHAW.

SHELVING.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. zo, 1915.

Patentedjune 27, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

W. IVI. SHAW.

SHELVING.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 20. 1915.

Patented June 27, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

III II Ill Imm-Il'- WILLIAM M. SHAW, OF CAMDEN, ARKANSAS.

SHELVING.

Specication of Letters Ratent. Pwbmted Jun@ 2*?, 1916,

application mea september 2o, 1915. serial No. 51,534..

To all whom t may concer/n Be it known that I, WILLIAM M. SHAW, a citizen of the United States, residing at Camden, in the county of Ouachita and State of Arkansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shelving; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in shelving adapted especially for use 4in stores and other establishments where merchandise is stored and exhibited for sale.`

In the present instance, I have shown my invention as particularly adapted for use in connection with the storage and exposition of hats, but I wish it to be understood that it is not limited in this useful application to this particular purpose, as it may be employed for almost every kind of merchandise, such as wearing apparel, groceries, hardware, and the like.'

In the preferred embodiment of my invention shown herein, I provide a cabinet which is equipped with movable shelving. In one position the shelving, which consists o-f a series of individual connected shelves lies within the confines of the cabinet, one shelf above the other, or in vertical alinement. When so situated, the shelving is adapted to support the merchandise in the usual manner. In the second position the shelving is withdrawn from the cabinet or case, and extends horizontally and transversely across the front of such cabinet or case and in position to support the merchandise in full view of the public.

As is well known in many mercantile establishments, especially those handling mens furnishings, dry goods and the like, the shelving is usually in the nature of a stationary stack having glass doors which slide vertically, or horizontally. In such ordinary construction itis usually impossible to utilize all of the wall space without resorting to the use,l of step ladders to reach the higher shelves.A Furthermore, with the ordinary stationary shelves the goods, such for instance as hats, are -usually stacked or piled up one carton above another, so that it is diilicult to obtain access to a desired carton or article should it be near the bottom of the pile, and at the same time the goods cannot be adequately disposed or displayed. In carrying out my invention I aim to obvlate these and other evident disadvantages of the statlonary shelves or cases by providing such shelving as will enable me to util1ze substantially all of the wall space from 'the floor to the ceiling, while at the same time the goods will be protected from dust, dlrt and the like while permitting ready acr cess thereto when desired. Furthermore, with my invention the goods may be prominently and adequately displayed in front of the cabinet proper. l

It is also my purpose to provide a structure of this character wherein the necessity of using rolling step laddersor any other art1cle for a similar purpose is avoided, as the goods may be readily and quickly brought within easy reach of the salesman or customer.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a structure of this kind which may if desired, be manufactured in sections so that it may be shipped in collapsed or knock-down condition, and which further.

more will embody the desired features of simplicity, efficiency and convenience and which may be manufactured and marketed at a relatively low cost.

With the above recited objects and others of a similar nature in view, my invention consists in the construction, combinationand arrangement of parts set forth in and falling within the scope of the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure4 1 is a view in front elevation of a casing or cabinet equipped with my invention, the shelving being shown in its vertical or confined position, within the cabinet. Fi 2 is a view in side elevation of the device own in Fig. 1 and showing the shelving as withdrawn from the cabinet ready to be moved intohorizontal position, the position of the shelves within the cabinet being shown in dotted lines. Fig. 3 is a view in front elevation of my structure, with the shelving in its horizontal position to support the goods for proper display. Fig. 4 is a top plan view taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3, looking downward on the shelving in the direction ofthe arrow. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the central shelf and its supporting bars. Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of one of the toggle links of the swinging frame.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings in detail, the letter C indicates a case or cabinet which may be o f any suitable form or dimensions, depending of course upon the character of the goods to be received therein. In the present instance this cabinet is substantially rectangular in form and of course may be made of any preferred material. Mounted on the floor 1 of the cabinet are the blocks 2 and 3, these blocks being arranged in parallelism. To the block 2 I hinge as at 4 the lower ends of the pair n of parallel bars shown at 5 while to the block 3 I hinge as at 6 the lower ends of another pair of parallel bars shown at 7. These four bars are preferably formed of metal and each bar 5 is connected with the transversely alining bar 7 through the medium of a diagonal bar 8. The rear bars 5 and 7 are connected with the rear of the cabinet by means of the toggle links 9 and 10 which are pivoted as at 11 to the rear of the cabinet and at 12 to the bars, each pair of link members 9 and 10 being pivotally connected as at 13 while 14 is a stop-pin for limiting the opening of the toggle and conseqluently the forward movement of the swinging parallel bars.

To the upper ends of the bars 5 and 7 are pivotally connected as at 15 and 16 the rear end portions of the pair of horizontal bars 17 these bars in turn being bolted to cleats 18 fastened to the under sidel of the central shelf 19, the result being that this central shelf is stationary relative to the horizontal bars 17. This central shelf 19 has a metallic strap or binding strip 2O extending around three sides thereof, the free ends of said strap terminating in. the depending lugs 21. To these lugs 21 are pivoted at 22 the two long bars 23 forming the runners or part of the frame of the shelving. Likewise the two similar bars 24 are pivoted as at 25 to the strap 20. The result is that there are four of these long bars constituting the frame of the shelving, and it will be seen that at the central shelf the -pivot points 22 of the two bars 23 are below or out of horizontal alinement with the pivot points 25 of the two bars 24. The result is that in swinging the shelving from the vertical position shown in Fig. 1 to the horizontal position shown in Fig. 3, these bars 23 and 24 will swing on their pivots 22 and 25 respectively.

It will further be noted by reference to Fig. l that the bars 23 at their lower ends project below the lower ends of the bars 24. Thus when the shelving is placed in horizontal position, these bars 23 and 24, constituting the side irons of the shelves, will not have to pass by each other in order that the shelves may lie perfectly iiat. In addition to the central stationary shelf 19, I provide a suitable number of additional shelves 26 each of which is also surrounded on three sides by a binding strap or band 20, these straps 20 bein similar tothe stra 20 of the central she f. The depending ugs'21 of the straps 20 are pivoted as at 22 to the bars 23, while pivots 25 at the opposite corners of the straps connect the latter, and consequently the shelves 26 with the side irons or bars 24. From the peculiar manner in which the shelves are pivotally connected to these side irons or runners, as just described, it will be seen, especially by ref-A erence to Figs. 1, 2 and 4 that when the shelving is located within the cabinet the central shelf'19, as well as the shelves 26 will be arranged in vertical alinement one above the other. However, when the stack of shelving is withdrawn from the cabinet it will be noted that by swinging vthe bars 23 andf24 on the pivot points 22 and 25, at the central shelf, these bars may be swung to horizontal position and moved toward each other, as shown in Fig. 3, and at the same time the shelves 26 will also move to lie Hat or in substantially horizontal alinement as is shown in Fig. 4.

In order to balance the shelving so that it may be moved into and out of the cabinet with but very-little eifort, I preferably employ a counter-weight 27 -to which is fastened the cable 28, the branches 28 of the cable being fastened to eyes 29 connected with the horizontal irons or bars 17, this cable preferably running over a suitable pulley 30 supported from the wall of the cabinet.

From the above description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction and manner of employing my invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art.

Turning for instance to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, it will be seen that when the stack of shelving is in itsyertical position and housed within the cabinet the swinging bars 5 and 7 lie within the cabinet and at the limit of their rearward movement toward the back of the latter, while the shelves 26 are arranged. in vertical alinement relative to the shelf 19 and to each other. If it now be desired to withdraw the shelving and to have it occupy the horizontal position shown in Fig. 3, with the shelves 26 all in horizontal alinement with each other and with the central shelf 19, it is only necessary to grasp the stack of shelving and pull it forward out of the cabinet as shown in Fig. 2, the pivoted or swinging bars 5 or 7 permitting this to be done while the hinged straps or toggle links will limit the outward .movement of these swinging bars and consequently the shelving. v

When the shelving has been moved to the position shown in Fig. 2, the operator merely grasps the two front bars 23 and 24 and swings these bars on their pivoted points 22 and 25, or in the direction to bring the bars into horizontal position. The result will be that as the bars swing down into horizontal position they approach each other and the shelves 26 also approach horizontal.

-alinement with each other, this being per- I wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself to all of the precise details of construction herein set forth by way of illustration as modification and variation may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or exceeding the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as new is:

l. The combination with a swinging support, of a tilting shelf-carrying frame pivotally connected with the support and adapted to be tilted from a substantially Vertical to a substantially horizontal position, and a series of shelves carried by the frame and adapted to lie in vertical alinement when the frame is in its vertical position and in a horizontal alinement when 'the frame isin its horizontal position.

2. The combination with a swinging support, of a stationary shelf carried by the support, a tilting, shelf-carrying frame pivotally connected with the stationary shelf,

and a series of shelving pivotally supported on the tilting frame.

3. The combination with a swinging :support, of a stationary shelf pivotally connected thereto, a tilting frame composed of a series of bars pivotally connected to the stationary shelf, and shelves pivoted to said bars and adapted to be moved from a posi? tion of vertical lalinement relative to the" stationary shelf to a position in horizontal alinement with the shelf when the bars are swung from vertical to horizontal position. 4. The combination with a cabinet, of a series of vertically swinging supporting bars mounted within the cabinet, a stationary shelf carried by said bars, a tilting shelfcarrying frame fpivotally connected with the stationary shel and adapted to be tilted from a vertical to a horizontal position, and shelves pivoted to said frame and adapted to be moved from a position in vertical aline- -ment relative to each other to a position in horizontal alinement with each other and with the stationary shelf, when the frame is tilted from vertical to horizontal position.

5. The combination with a cabinet, of supporting bars pivoted at their lower ends within the cabinet and adapted to swing to bring the upper ends thereof outside the cabinet, a horizontally disposed shelf stationarily connected with the upper portions of the bars, a plurality of bars pivotally connected with the stationary shelf and adapted to form a tilting frame, adapted to be moved from a vertical to a horizonal position, and a series of shelves pivotally connected with the tilting frame and adapted to lie in spaced mutual alinement when the tilting frame is in vertical position, and to lie in horizontal alinement with each other and with the stationary shelf when the frame is in horizontal position.

6. The combination with a cabinet, of a plurality of supporting bars pivoted at their lower ends within the cabinet and adapted to be swung to bring the upper ends thereof outside the cabinet, means for limiting the swinging movement of the bars, a horizontally disposed shelf stationarily connected with the upper portion of the supporting bars, a plurality of bars pivotally connected with the stationary shelf and adapted t0 form a tilting frame adapted to be moved from a vertical to a horizontal position, a series of shelves so pivoted to the bars of the tilting frame that said shelves will lie in spaced vertical alinement when the frame is in vertical' position and will lie in horizontal alinement flush with each other and with the stationary shelf when the tilting frame is in horizontal position and a counterbalancing device connected with the supporting device and connected with the supporting bars to counterbalance the latter and the tilting shelf-carrying frame.

In testimony whereof, I aiiiX my signature, in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM M. SHAW.

Witnesses:

B. C. PARNELL, W. E. MCRAE, 

